June 21, 2011
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VUCast: Rainy night in Omaha | VU Presser | Highlights | Vanderbilt CWS Central
OMAHA, Neb. – It took almost 17 hours from the first pitch, but finally after a 2.5-hour rain delay and an overnight suspension of play, Vanderbilt’s game against Florida in the College World Series finally came to an end Tuesday morning with the Gators topping the Commodores, 3-1.
With the loss, Vanderbilt (53-11) fell to 1-1 in the CWS and will return to the field Wednesday to play North Carolina at 6 p.m. in an elimination game. The game will air on ESPN2. Florida (52-17) is now 2-0 in the CWS and will now be off until Friday and will play the winner of the Vanderbilt, North Carolina game at 1 p.m. (ESPN).
Vanderbilt is now 1-4 this season against Florida. Florida scored all three of its runs with one swing of the bat.
Right fielder Preston Tucker hit a three-run homer in the top of the fourth inning, and Vanderbilt never could get much going on offense. Tucker’s home run came after he walked Nolan Fontana with one out and Mike Zunino reached base on an infield single. Tucker also added a double and now has five homers, six doubles and 18 RBIs in his last eight games.
The Commodores managed just four hits and the only run came courtesy of Anthony Gomez, who knocked home Connor Harrell with two outs in the bottom of the fifth.
Vanderbilt’s bats were held in check by Florida’s Karsten Whitson and Steven Rodriguez, who struck out 12. Whitson started the game and lasted 4.2 innings, surrendering four hits and one earned run to go along with five strikeouts. After Whitson appeared to be getting in trouble in the fifth, Rodriguez entered the game and left the Commodores guessing.
Rodriguez set a career high in innings pitched and strikeouts, as he worked the final 4.1 innings and did not give up a hit, while striking out seven. Only Connor Harrell reached base on a walk.
“When you get 12 strikeouts against a Vanderbilt team, in my opinion, that’s an anomaly,” Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin said. “That is a kid that’s executing his pitches. When kids like Aaron, and Esposito and Gomez don’t get off good swings, there is a reason for that.
“It’s like shooting poorly in basketball. If you can’t get off a good shot because you have a hand in your face, then you’re not going to be as successful. It’s the same case as it was today.”
Anthony Gomez finished the game 2-for-4 with one RBI and Tony Kemp and Connor Harrell also added hits. Kemp’s hit was a one-out triple in the bottom of the third. Vanderbilt left six runners on base.
Grayson Garvin pitched 6.0 innings, surrendering three runs on five hits, while striking out nine batters.
“Today was a little bit frustrating just because we couldn’t get off our swings,” Corbin said. “We couldn’t get successive runners on base, and we couldn’t utilize any type of skill game or offense against them. You know, you have to credit them, you do.”
